


Lesser Stars

by Etrangere



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-04
Updated: 2011-07-04
Packaged: 2017-10-21 01:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/219217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etrangere/pseuds/Etrangere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A day in the life of Regulus Black.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lesser Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Made for the Hogsmeade week end at hogwarts_elite which means it was rushed in a few hours. Beta-ed by firesorceress1.
> 
> For this contest, your challenge is to write a genfic set in the Marauder Era and write a "slice of life" portrait of one of the characters alive during that time period, giving us new insight into the character you have chosen. You may write a "day in the life," a character portrait, a specific event, pretty much anything goes. The character you choose does not have to be a Marauder. It does not even have to be a fellow student, provided they were alive at the time and your story is set in the appropriate time period. Although our knowledge of the students in this time is limited, your story must adhere to what canon we know. Your drabble must be between 500 to 1500 words.

Friday’s Double DADA class was boring as ever. As usual, Professor Raynes’ dull voice was just enough to push the students into the kind of restless torpor that looked for any provocation to unleash constrained aggressive whims. The Gryffindors and Slytherins were already at the step of exchanging half-whispered insults and lazy paper munitions, while no less than three copies of the latest Daily Prophet (“ _New double murder in Diagon Alley : When will the terror stop?_ ” ) were circulating through the rooms under the teacher’s oblivious gaze.

Of course, the proximity of the Hogsmeade weekend was nothing to calm the spirits of the excited teenagers of the room.

“Hey, Black!”

Face laid down over the cool paper of his text book copy, he tried to ignore the irritating voice in the hope that it would quiet all by itself.

“Black! Hey, Black!”

No such luck. Regulus lifted his chin by a mere couple of centimetres and darted his gaze onto the guilty intruder.

“What is it, Crouch?” Despite years of practice and many models, his tone of disdain came short of his brother’s easy scorn.

“Tonight, there’s a meeting, right? Hogs Head?”

One look across the classroom was enough to reassure him nobody was listening. Crouch might have about as much subtlety as a dragon in an artefact shop, but he was gifted with timing that allowed him to hide in plain sight.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you have any idea how many people can spy on us there?”

For the hundredth time, Regulus cursed the first time he had allowed Crouch to follow him to one of Bellatrix’s little _soirées_. He had hoped that an introduction to the real thing and to his cousin’s manners would be enough to send the studious boy crying back to his father. To his surprise, Crouch had been even more thrilled, and Bellatrix had taken on a liking to her 'pet Gryffindor', revelling into making him betray his father’s Ministry secrets for the good cause.

As far as Regulus was concerned, it was merely one more reason to loath Crouch. He was just one more traitor to his family – the kind of scum they were supposed to fight against. But that made him quite useful, and if Regulus failed to let the boy come to her, Bellatrix would be sure to do many unpleasant things to him.

“Meet me at Zonko’s. I’ll show you,” he finally conceded. One Hogsmeade evening wasted because of the Death Eater wannabe Gryffindor wonder. Marvellous.

Finally, the drone of the lesson ended, and they were released from the class.

Walking down the hallway, Regulus was granted a good sight of the Quidditch practice currently in session, where Gryffindors were making fools of themselves whirling across the air. Potter was playing the star as usual and juggled with Quaffles before scoring. Down on the grass, Sirius and their other adoring friends were applauding to his prompting.

Sirius didn't play Quidditch anymore, at least not since last year. Furtively, Regulus remembered Sirius’ eager smile three years before at Christmas break, when he had told their parents about being accepted in the team. “Quidditch?” their mother sneered, “how very plebeian. Well, getting a few bones broken may at least make you pass the envy of playing in the mud.”

Even Regulus was willing to admit that Sirius had made a good Beater. Indomitable, unpredictable, and vicious. Nothing to envy, of course – who’d want to be good at such a low-class, dirty game? Still, he wished he knew what had happened, and the reason of his brother’s sudden ban from the team. If only to taunt Sirius with the knowledge. He could imagine Sirius’ face twisting angrily at his words. There would be no more easy scoffing of his younger brother as if nothing that he said, nothing that he did was good enough or bad enough to be noticed by the high and mighty Gryffindor!

Regulus’ grin at the fantasy soon faded. For that to happen, he needed to learn Sirius’ secret first, which was easier said than done. No matter how practised Regulus was at the task, since his brother's adamant refusal to come back home, his source of knowledge had shrivelled. And without that...

Glimpsing a sulking, unyielding silhouette, Regulus ran over to join it.

“Snape! Wait for me!”

The older boy glared at him, but slowed his stride. Regulus smiled in answer, unimpressed by the other boy’s intimidating demeanour. After all he was a Black. He faced much worse at home routinely.

From Regulus’ first year in Hogwarts, he had struck a... well, not friendship, obviously, but some sort of partnership with Snape. The older Slytherin spent a lot of time spying on Sirius and his friends and since Regulus was already quite keen with the habit of observing and learning his brother’s secret the exchange of intelligence had been the bargaining foundation of their relationship.

Then last year, something had happened. Snape had spent a day at the infirmary. Sirius had been punished worse than before and kicked out of the Quidditch team. And yet, Snape refused to share with Regulus what had happened.

Regulus needed to know, and he was usually quite good at getting what he wanted. Maybe not as good as Sirius was, granted, but then again, Regulus was never quite as good as Sirius was in everything that he did.

“What do you want?”

“Will you be there this evening, my cousin wants to meet some of my class mates. See if there’s any promising potential.” He grinned with nonchalance, almost as if those things were beneath him. Maybe this’ll do. Maybe it will convince Snape to trust and tell him.

But Snape’s words in answer were cutting. “I have better things to do than witness children pretending to play war when they have no idea what they’re talking about, and you should stay clear of it as well.”

That drove Regulus furious suddenly. Children? Regulus was used to being underestimated, that comes from being the younger, the quieter one, the one that didn’t always bring the blames and the praises alike to him. No, Regulus was not Sirius, he wasn’t Bella either, or Andromeda so smart and so foolish, but he was not going to stay clear of anything.

“Like you can talk,” He spat out. “Cissy told me all about the time you spend out of Hogwarts along with Malfoy. Don’t tell me that’s got nothing to do with the Dark Lord.”

“Quiet!” Snape hissed and narrowed his eyes dangerously at him. “You will not speak those kind of words openly in this place. You have no idea into what kind of danger you’re putting yourself into. I’m coming of age this year, you’re merely a fourth year. As for your cousin,” His tone was charged with venom, “she’s merely carelessly playing with your lot.”

Well, that last one was true enough. Regulus had no delusion about Bellatrix. She cared for Narcissa sometimes, but most times all she cared for was war, blood and pain. And the Dark Lord who provided for all three. Bellatrix had always been a vixen, even when they had all been all children playing in the garden of the Blacks’ country house, listening to Andromeda’s strange, old tales of gods, stars, murders, and youth transforming into flowers and animals. When he was a child, he was always stuck with Narcissa to play the princess because Bellatrix was adamant to be the knight and fight against Sirius. Back then, before Hogwarts and before he stopped being everything that Regulus wanted to be, Sirius would always grin his scorching smile and say 'don’t worry Reg, I’m going to come back and save you'. And Regulus would wait and wait over the grass along with Narcissa.

Regulus didn't feel like waiting safely anymore. Bellatrix was cruel and mad, but she told the truth when she could hurt with it.

“Fine,” He told Snape and walked away.

He had to prepare himself for the Hogsmeade weekend, anyways. Bella would bring the Lestrange brothers, and possibly Dolohov. They’ll talk about the importance of preserving their culture and of the way the Mudbloods are breaking up whole families. Regulus knew all about broken up families. Once upon a time, he used to hide under his bed when his mother had a go at Sirius, screaming so loudly the lustre would shudder like lightning, and Sirius, fearlessly, would scream back at her. It was then that Regulus had decided he would become all that Sirius had been supposed to be. So as to show him how it was properly done. But now, Sirius never came home, and never yelled back at their mother anymore. The Black house was full of dead silence like broken lights. And Sirius never, ever looked at Regulus. He’ll show Sirius, though, he wasn’t worried.

Regulus was a Black, and it was always a dangerous mistake to underestimate a Black.


End file.
